Lighting equipment



April 16, 1946. J. w. MQRRISON LIGHTING EQUIPMENT Filed sept. 27, 1944 2sheets-sheet 1 J Y ,l B 2 3 2.

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April 16, 1946. J. w. MORRISON l `LIGHTING4 EQUIPMENT Filed'sep'.' 27,1944 2 shets-sheet 2 u Application invention relates `to improvements inlieh proving the lighting effects obtainable from llt reserit orylilregaseous discharge light sources.

`objectmof theinvention is` to provide an iirnproyedg-arrangement of:gaseous` discharge lighting-tubeand `reilector therefor, which over-`gonivesieertain recognized objections to the: use of the indicated typeof lighting for merchandise display purposes-andthe like.` d -Anotherobject is to provide a novel and eiective lighting xture incorporating agaseous discharge light source ofV substantially Spiro-helical forrnahtijonimcombination with a corespondingly shaped freector havingreflecting areas in focal relationship.; to the light source along itslength. i'l'hnevforegoing and other objects are attained bythemearsdescribedpherein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

lliggl is a top plan view of an improved lighting ixture-characterizedby a regularity of form.

Fig .iscan enlarged side elevational view of meyhalfybeing shown inverticalsection.

isa-top plan View of a modied form of characterized by Van obliquedisposition Qf'lpiltsv i. l' y lig.z4 isfan enlargedfside elevationalView of vthe modied iixture, fshown partly in vertical crosfsection Awas :stated rin the rintroductory portion of this specicationyzone ofthe-objects of the present invention is to provide a lighting xturedesgnedgtomprove the lighting `eiects obtainable from-iluorescent orlike gaseous discharge light sources:- Such light sources areelectrically energi-gedand comprise long` tubes constructed of glassoraglass-like substance. With the use of means-Y-welltknown and in commonusage, an electric potential isfimpressed upon the tube for causing itto glow and emit light rays, which rays emanatefrom the tube in all'directions substantiallyfat-rightfangles to the axis of the tube.

fact that the rlight rays emanate from the tubeyatgright angles to thetube axis, has presented somefdiicult problems in an eiort to obtainiproperf,lightingcontrol under certainl cir'- cumstances,` of zusage.Persons concerned in the problemsindicated `recognize as one ofthe-chief objectionstoJthis form of illumination, the productioniofaso-called flat lighting eiect not particularly-conducive to eiectiveuse Where third dimensional characteristics are desiredv intheillumination, Efforts to cure the objectionable character'st" ofting-fecluiicmentv and fisy directed particularly he lightAl obtainablefrom the the character 8.1

gaseous discharge tube, have been conned to. corrective schemes orpractices, for example, that ormixingsources' of-1ight yhaving variouscolor and intensitycharacteristics, butit has been con,- ceded thatrthe-faults` inherent-in` gaseous `discharge tube lighting havel not-been satisfactorily solved heretofore. Yg ,i r c Although most .of thediiiculties abovefbriey outlined haveoccurredfin connection with showWindowlighting, .lighting for merchandise dis-` play W purposesandithellika `the improvementsv concerning, the present invention, Whilesolving the problems arising .i under.. the1indicated circumstances, arenot` to `be so limited-in their. application. For instance, `similar.third dimensional characteristics in'iillumination vare often requiredfor industrial orkindred applicatioi'i.` The device of the presentinvention improves the` character of gaseousldischarge lighting underpractically, all circumstances and conditions in which gaseousdischarge` tube lighting might be specified or installed. `--Indescribing thelinvention, itwill not be `necessary to explaintheintricaciesof any mechanism or equipment `:forsupplying the properpotentialandrothercharacteristics of electric energyneededtoenergizefthefgaseous discharge lightingtube. Such accessories`arewell `known andV are presently in common usage Wherever` gaseousdischarge tube lighting. is used; i .The `present invention'relates moreparticularly to a xture for the control of light producedby the gaseousdischarge tube. `Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, it is notedthat theVfixture comprises generally .the` gaseous discharge tube or source-oflight indicated at 1, and a reflector surrounding the light sour e,indicated generally by The lightingsource'comprises a tubular envelope,of glass -orglass-lilley `materiaLV bent or shaped toa'spiro-helicalform. y The termspiro helical formiisv intended to convey the impression-of a glass-like'tubef ofsubstantial length Wound to a generally spiralformation, not ina singleplane, but'r'atherasa helixfwith theVconvolutions -of the spiralA becoming progressively smaller in theVdirectionbf the upper end of'the tube orenvelop'eg" The outline of thspire-helical light tube accordingly simulates a truncated cone. f

The terminal endsfllfand In of the tubular lighting elemnl? le properlyshaped for receptionby suitable sockets or'receptacles whichcaljry @3S-Ilsscry.electrisch charge io energizefthe preferably the reflector as awhole, is formed or Y shaped to Spiro-helical formation correspond-Vingly with the tube 1.

pitched and spaced correspondingly with the convolutions I1, I8, I9 and20 of the light tube 1, so that light rays emanating from points on thetube adjacent to the reflective areas of the refiector will beconcentrated and directed downwardly through the open bottom 2| of thereflector.

As will be evident from the illustration of Fig. 2, the reflectorconvolutions and all points on the reiiective areas facing the lightsource or tube 1, are disposed in focal relationship to the light sourceor tube; and due to the fact that the gase- That is, theconvolutionsindicated at I3, I4, I5 and I6 of the reflector, are A ousdischarge tube is presumed to emit its light rays, from the surfacethereof, rather than from a point or line within, the reflective areasor surfaces of the reflector arefdesigned on the, application of'curvatures including the involute'of a circle, or specific circleareas, or parabolic segments, or such combinations of these as may benecessary to focus or distribute the rays over any given area orobjective beneath the open bottom of the reflector. The propercurvatures may be calculated or determined applying the ordinaryprinciples of reflector design, taking into account the continuity ofthe light source and reflecting area convolutions from top to bottom ofthe fix-f ture. Y

It may be noted that in locating the light source tube relative to thereflector convolutions, the tube is positioned as nearly as possibledirectly beneath the bases 22 of the convolutions, so that the tube maynot seriously interfere with the desired projection of the reflectedrays. It should be understood that the entire inner'surface of thereflector is light reflective, by preference. The top of the refiectormay be closed as at 23, and the lower open end may be furnished with aperipheral reinforcing flange or extension 24. This flange or extensionmay be nat as shown, or otherwise shaped to provide the desiredreinforcement or to provide a means of mounting the reflector upon asupport. Means other than the fiange might be employed for mounting thereflector if desired, depending upon conditions .to be met incident toeffecting installation.

Although the spire-helical configuration of the tube and reflector maybe fashionedvwith greater adherence to regularity of the helical leadthan shown, it has been determined, for the present at least, thatcertain efficiencies and manufacturing advantages may be gained byslightly departing fromthe regularity of thehelical formation. Byreferring to Fig. 2, it may be noted that the lowermost convolution ofthe tube I1 rests in a horizontal plane throughout approximately halfthe extent of the convolution, and then advances upwardly to the nextconvolution on an incline Yas indicated at 25, the incline portionconstituting approximately the remaining half ofthe whole convolution.The tube then continues horizontally as at 26 throughout approximately ahalf convolution, and then inclines upwardly to the next convolution asat 21, this being repeated until the last convolution at 2|! is reached.The convolutions I3, I4, I5 and I6 of the reflector are similarly andcorrespondingly formed, parts being horizontal as indicated at the rightof Fig. 2, and other parts being inclined as at 28 at the left of Fig.2. The mean axis of all the convolutions, i. e., those of the tube andthe reflector, coincide substantially with the section line 29 whichmeets the plane of the fiange 24 at right angles.

It is here pointed out that the terminal end IIJ of the lighting tubemay in some instances extend from the side of the reflector, as does theend 9, rather than through the stop.

The modified structure of Figs. 3 and 4 is one that may be extensivelyused in show window lighting installations, as it is designed to directthe light rays downwardly at an angle. In this embodiment, the lightingtube 10 and the reflector element 80 are of substantial Spiro-helicalformation as previously explained, but the convolutions thereof aredisplaced to one side of a vertical line passing through the center ofthe bottom opening |2I. The axis of the reflector convolutions |I3, H4,and II5, and the axis of the tube convolutions II1, IIB, and I|9 arecoincident andrest in parallelism with the oblique section line |29.This results in casting the reflected rays from tube 10 downwardly insubstantially the direction of the oblique line |29.

The inner surface II2 of the reflector 80 is rendered reflective asexplained in connection with Figs. l and 2, and is continuous from topto bottom due to its Spiro-helical form. Like the structure of Figs. 1and 2, the structure of Figs. 3 and 4 displays correspondency in thehorizontal and inclined sections of the tube and of the reflector. Theinclined sections or areas of the reflector are indicated by thecharacters |28, whereas those of the tube are indicated at |21. The topof the reflector may be closed as at |23, and the terminal end I ID ofthe lighting tube may extend therethrough in the upright position illustrated, or in a transverse position a1; which the end IEI passeslaterally through the reflector, for the reason previously stated.

The lower terminal end of the gaseous discharge lighting tube isindicated at 9D, and |24 indicates a suitable reinforcing or mountingange for the lower open end of the reliector. The nature of this fiangemay be varied, depending Vupon the peculiarities of installationconditions. In some installations, the mounting of the fixture may beeffected otherwise than by means of the peripheral flange. Clips orsupports such as 30 may be attached to the interior of the reflector forsupporting the tube wherever support may be required.

In conclusion it is pointed out that xtures constructed in accordancewith the invention may be inexpensively manufactured and assembled, asthey comprise a minimum number of parts designed for rapid production.Their use eliminates the need for light-corrective accessories andscientific supervision attending installations.

It is to be understood that various modifications and changes instructural'details may be made in the fixture, within the scope of th'eappended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is: l

1. A lighting fixture lconstructed to overcome the flat lighting effecton gaseous tube illumination, comprising in combination, a cup-shapedreflector of generally spire-helical form, said rellector havingreflective inner surfaces, and an enlarged annular lower open end theedge of which rests in a plane, the several convolutions of thereflector each having a portion of its length disposed in a plane whichis parallel t the plane of the lower edge of the reflector, and eachhaving an inclined portion joining an end of the planar portion of oneconvolution to an end of the planar portion of the next adjacentconvolution, thereby to establish continuity of the reflective surfacesof the reflector, the reflective surfaces being formed by combiningcircular arcs and involutions of a circle, a continuous base edgefollowing the reflector convolutions and directed toward the lower openend of the reflector, said base edge increasing correspondingly in reachwith the increase in size of the reflector convolutions in the directionof the open end, and a gaseous discharge lighting tube of generallyspiro-helical form supported in spaced relationship to the refleotivesurfaces, with every pointof its axis located substantially on a linewhich parallels the axis of the reflector and passes through thecontinuous base edge of the reflector convolutions.

2. A lighting xture constructed to overcome the flat lighting effect ofgaseous tube illumination, comprising in combination, a sup-shapedreflector of generally spire-helical form, said reflector havingreflective inner surfaces, and an enlarged annular lower open end theedge of which rests in a plane, the several convolutions of thereflector each having a portion of its length disposed in a plane whichis parallel to the plane of the lower edge of the reflector, and

each having an inclined portion joining an endV of the planar portion ofone convolution to an end of the planar portion of the next adjacent iconvolution, thereby to establish continuity of the reflective surfacesof the reflector, the reflective surfaces being formed by combiningcircular arcs and involutions of a circle, a continuous base edgefollowing the reflector convolutions and directed toward the lower openend of the reflector, said base edge increasing correspondingly in reachwith the increase in size of the reflector convolutions in the directionof the open end, and a gaseous discharge lighting l tube of generallyspire-helical form supported in spaced relationship to the reflectivesurfaces, with every point of its axis located substantially on a linewhich parallels the axis of the reflector and passes through thecontinuous base edge of the reflector convolutions, the convolutions ofthe lighting tube being successively offset relative to one another forprecluding casting of a projected shadow by one convolution emittinglight rays onto a subjacent convolution of the tube.

3. A lighting fixture constructed to overcome the flat lighting effectof gaseous tube illumination, comprising in combination, a cup-shapedreflector of generally spire-helical form, said reflector including anenlarged annular lower edge resting in al plane, and a series ofconvolutions providing reflective inner surfaces, the convolutions beingdescribed generally about an axis oblique to the planar lower edge ofthe reflector, and each having a portion of its length disposed in aplane which is substantially parallel to said lower edge, saidconvolutions each having an inclined portion joining an end of theplanar portion of the next adjacent convolution, thereby to establishcontinuity of the reflective surfaces of the reflector, the reflectivesurfaces being formed by combining circular arcs and involu* tions of acircle, a continuous base edge following the reflector convolutions anddirected toward the lower open end of the reector in the generaldirection of its oblique axis, said base edge increasing correspondinglyin reach Iwith the increase in size ofthe reflector convolutions in thedirection of the open end, and a gaseous discharge lighting tube ofgenerally spire-helical form supported in spaced relationship to thereflective surfaces, with every point of its axis located substantiallyon an oblique line which parallels the axis of the reflector and passesthrough the continuous base edge of the reflector convolutions.

4. A lighting fixture constructed to overcome the flat lighting effectof gaseous tube illumination, comprising in combination, a cup-shapedreflector of generally Spiro-helical form, said reflector including anenlarged annular lower edge resting in a plane, and a series ofconvolutions PIOVding reflective inner surfaces, the convolutions beingdescribed generally about an axis oblique to the planar lower edge ofthe reflector, and each having a portion of its length disposed in aplane which is substantially parallel to said lower edge,saidconvolutions each having an inclined portion joining an end of theplanar portion of the next adjacent convolution, thereby to establishcontinuity of the reflective surfaces of the reflector, the reflectivesurfaces being formed by combining circular arcs and involutions of acircle, a continuous base edge following the reflector convolutions anddirected toward the lower open end of the reflector` in the generaldirection of its oblique axis, said base edge increasing correspondinglyin reach with the increase in size of the reflector convolutions in thedirection of the open end, and a gaseous discharge lighting tube ofgenerally spiro-helical form supported in spaced relationship tothereflective surfaces, with every point of its axis lo" catedsubstantially on an oblique line whichv par allels the axis of thereflector and passes through the continuous base edge of the reflectoreonvolutions, the convolutions of the lighting tube be-V ingsuccessively offset relative to one another for precluding casting of aVprojected shadow by one convolution emitting light rays onto asubjacent convolution of the tube.

J OI-IN W. MQRRISON.

